Raise a Glass to Romance
by DezoPenguin
Summary: Himeko's in a funk because her Valentine's Day planning isn't going well, so Makoto takes her to the bar to drown her sorrows and things end up about as well as one would expect.


_A/N: This story takes place in the post-anime continuity that I have a bunch of other KnM stories and omake set in, such as "Sometimes Courage Needs a Hand" and "If You Search Your Heart."_

~X X X~

The week before Valentine's Day was supposed to be a season of joy and romantic bliss. Now, this did not apply to everyone. Those people who were _without_ a significant other and dissatisfied with that fact often resented the way in which every store and media program seemed to be shoving hearts and flowers in their faces. But it was rare indeed to find someone who was by all indications deliriously in love and in a happy relationship sitting at a campus bar, glumly staring into her beer three days before the holiday.

Himeko Kurusugawa was not having a good day.

"What am I going to do, Mako-chan?" she moaned.

Makoto Saotome, Himeko's best friend and roommate from middle school all the way through their present college years, pondered the problem.

"It is an issue," she agreed.

"Last year Chikane-chan gave me that wonderful treasure hunt through all our romantic memories for Valentine's Day. It was such a beautiful and romantic present! And I want to be able to do something as nice and special for her as well!"

"As I recall, you did pretty well in the Valentine's gift department yourself," Makoto thought it over. "But unfortunately, you only have one virginity to give someone, so repeating last year's gift is out. Though I suppose you could still take a romantic weekend together. Souma and I had a great time at that hot spring over Christmas."

"But that takes money, and after paying for the rent and replacing those dishes I broke at the coffee shop, my February budget is four hundred and thirty-two yen."

"Ouch, that's even worse than I thought. I'm glad I offered to pay for the beer. Though I still don't know how you managed to slip on a coffee stirrer. You're lucky that you lived this long, with coordination like yours."

Himeko blushed. While she actually had pretty good reflexes, it could not be denied that she was one of those people whom every so often was afflicted with spontaneous acts of clumsiness, and not even of the "lewdly face-plant into Chikane's breasts" kind that might have been entertaining.

"What am I going to do, Mako-chan?" she repeated. "I don't have any money for a decent gift. And I know Chikane-chan wouldn't mind if I did something that didn't cost anything, but I don't have any good ideas that are both romantic and cheap, either!"

"Yeah, it's tough. You could make her a homemade romantic dinner, but you're not what I'd call the world's greatest cook…to say nothing of the potential of you tripping and ending up drenching her in spaghetti sauce."

"You're never going to let me forget that, are you, Mako-chan?"

"Hey, it all worked out. I mean, I went into that evening hoping to give Souma an excuse to get my clothes off, and you gave us the perfect opening. But I don't think that's the kind of thing you had in mind, especially since you'd insist on paying for Tall, Dark and Princessy's dry cleaning."

Himeko sighed and laid her head on the table.

"What am I going to do?" she moaned for the third time.

"I don't know, but as for me, _I_ am going to go get us another couple of beers."

She hopped to her feet and wove her way through the tables and crowds of college students towards the bar. Valentine's Day was a common topic in the various conversations she overheard on the way, from people making plans to those lamenting their lack of a significant other to those intent on finding true love (or at least a date) by the holiday.

"Hey, a couple of Kirins here and-oof!"

Makoto, it will be noted, was short, even for a Japanese girl. The man who turned away from the bar, a shot glass in each hand, was a foot and a half taller, so that he'd have had to be looking down at his feet in order to have a chance to see her. Since he wasn't looking down but staring across the bar at a cute blonde exchange student, his hand crashed right into her.

"Hey!" both of them yelped simultaneously. Makoto had a bit of luck, as the impact knocked his hand back and splashed the whiskey back onto the guy instead of over her, but she still got knocked into the boy behind her and was lucky that this was a normal college bar and not some rough-and-tumble underworld tavern or she'd have probably started a brawl right out of a yakuza movie.

"Why don't you watch where you're going?" Makoto snapped.

"Why don't you watch where _you're_ going?" the guy shot back. "I wanted to drink my Scotch, not wear it!"

"Yeah, well, if that's the way you're walking, then maybe you've already had a few too many, huh?"

"You're saying I'm drunk, pipsqueak?"

"Drunk? Nah. I'm just saying you're lucky you're not smoking 'cause you'd burn your face off when the cigarette flame made your booze breath catch fire!"

"Why you smart-assed little… I can drink anybody under the table and walk away while they're lying passed out in their own puke! Drunk, she calls me!"

"Oh, yeah? You think you're a tough guy? Wanna put your money where your mouth is?" She poked him in the sternum. "Or are you scared of a girl?"

"You're telling me a little pipsqueak like you is gonna match me shot for shot?"

"Well, not me," Makoto admitted. "But my friend there'll take you on!" She pointed over at Himeko.

"Her? She looks like she's half passed-out already!" the guy snorted.

"Nah, she's just depressed. I figure kicking your ass'll be just the thing to help cheer her up."

"Oh, that's it, you are _on_. No one's making a fool of me!"

"No one _else_, maybe. Hey, Himeko!" Makoto turned and yelled.

"Mako-chan?"

"Get over here! Big Boy here's challenging you to a drinking contest!"

"_What!?_" Himeko squeaked.

"Now, she's only had one beer already," Makoto pointed out, trying to be fair (she didn't want to _cheat_, after all), "so does there need to be some kind of handicap?"

"Hell, no. That's all I've had, too. This was supposed to be my chaser, until you decided to throw it on me instead."

"Try walking around people instead of bashing into them and maybe you'll have better luck. And since you've got a problem with the concept, remember that in the contest you need to put the booze on the _inside_."

"Mako-chan, are you sure about this?" Himeko asked nervously as she came up beside her friend.

Her opponent sized her up, raking her from toes to head and back again with his gaze. Though she was taller than Makoto, her shrinking-violet manner actually made her seem smaller.

"Hell, yeah. Bartender, rack us up!"

"Drink! Drink! Drink!" chanted the ring of spectators that had formed, attracted by all the yelling. Himeko hopped up onto one bar stool and her opponent another one facing her, while the bartender started lining up shot glasses and filling them with Suntory. If he'd been a little more greedy, he'd have used more expensive liquor, since these contests tended to run through a fair amount, but he figured that after the second or third shot the contestants wouldn't be tasting much of anything anyway.

"Mako-chan, are you 'that friend' that people always talk about?" Himeko murmured, looking at the growing rack of drinks.

"Hey, I'm a good friend! At least this will solve one of your Valentine's problems. right?"

~X X X~

"Mako-chan, are you going to get up?"

"Blergh," Makoto said. At least it sounded like "blergh" to Himeko. It might have been "blugch," instead. It was hard to tell, since Makoto's face was buried in her pillow.

"I'm going to take that as a no," Himeko sighed. "Can I get you anything? Coffee? Headache medicine? Do you need me to help you to the bathroom again?"

"Mmmfrgh."

"Okay, then. I'm going to take this garbage bag out before it makes the place smell any worse." Since Makoto had started the morning by leaning over the edge of her bed heaving her guts out into that particular wastebasket, it was a lucky thing that they used plastic bags instead of just assuming that it would only be used for paper. "I'll be right back if you need anything."

She changed the bag out for a clean one, then tied it off and headed for the apartment door. She had almost reached it when the doorbell rang and startled her; making her drop the bag and have to fumble to catch it.

"Souma-kun!" she exclaimed when she opened the door.

"Morning, Himeko," Souma Ohgami said. He and Himeko were childhood friends; in fact, she'd been his first crush in high school. He was the kind of guy who took "no" with good grace, though, and they were still close friends, which made Himeko especially happy that a year after she'd turned him down he'd started dating Makoto and the two of them were still together three years later. "Is Mako-chan in? I though I'd surprise her by asking her out for breakfast."

"Oh, um, she's here, but I don't think she's going to want to go out."

"Arghlbh," Makoto agreed from the bedroom.

"She sounds awful; what happened?"

"Well, we went to the bar last night because I was feeling down over Valentine's Day."

"Huh? Himemiya-san didn't do anything, did she?"

"No, no, that's not it! Chikane-chan is wonderful!" Himeko rushed to defend her girlfriend's honor, even while she thought it was nice that Souma was concerned for her. "I was just having trouble figuring out what to get her, because I didn't have any good ideas and I was pretty broke. But Mako-chan fixed that!"

"Oh, she gave you an idea?"

Himeko shook her head.

"No, she made me a lot of money."

Souma grinned.

"Okay, this I've got to hear. And does this explain why Mako-chan is still in bed saying things like 'argblech'?"

Himeko touched her fingertip to her bottom lip.

"I think it was 'arghlbh'? But anyway, yes; she started a drinking contest."

"Huh? Makoto has a lot of great qualities, but holding her liquor isn't one of them."

"Well, no, she had _me_ drink."

"Oh, that's different. How much did you win?"

"Thirty thousand yen each! Makoto staked me, and she made a couple of side bets, too."

"Wow, that's a lot, even counting side bets."

"Well, after the first guy gave up after eight shots, his friend got all huffy and angry about it because Mako-chan was crowing, so she challenged _him_ to double or nothing." Himeko blushed. It was kind of embarrassing to talk about; it wasn't exactly _ladylike_ that she could hold her liquor alongside lumberjacks and oil-riggers. And possibly oni.

"He took you on with an eight-shot handicap? No wonder he was confident." Souma grinned. "Little did he know, huh?" Souma, on the other hand, just thought it was kind of badass, a quality that he approved of in women (no surprise there, given his choice of girlfriend). "So what happened with Makoto, though?"

"Well, after I won, she picked up my last shot and kicked it back in celebration. And she'd already had her second and third beer while watching and cheering the contest, so…"

"Oh, I get it."

"I called us a taxi and got her home safely and put her to bed, but she's still hung over this morning."

"Oh, so you're sticking around taking care of her?"

"Uh-huh…um, actually, Souma-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, since you came over to ask Mako-chan out anyway, would you mind staying with her for a while? I'd like to go out shopping; I'm hoping that now that I have some money, I'll be able to think of something nice to get Chikane-chan."

"Oh, sure, no problem!" He cracked his knuckles. "I'll whip up Kazuki-niisan's patented hangover cure. You guys have Tabasco and onions on hand, right?"

"I think so. Mako-chan made tacos last week, though, so we might be out of Tabasco."

"Eh, it's okay if you are. I can substitute extra chili powder and Worcestershire if I have to. Have fun shopping!"

"Thanks, Souma!" Himeko bounced lightly on her heels. She didn't yet know what she was going to get, but she was determined to make Chikane know just how much she loved her. "I won't be back before noon, in case you two need some privacy."

He chuckled. "Well, I don't think my brother's chemistry is _that_ good, but I appreciate your optimism in the spirit of the season."

"Urglblerk," Makoto agreed.


End file.
